beals



W. W. BEALS FUEL BURNER Filed Dec. 13, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR W. W. Bed

ATTURNEY April 30, 1929.

W. W. BEALS FUEL BURNER vApril 30, 1929.

3 sheets-sheet Filed Dec. 15, 1926 INVENTOR W. W. B d [s W. W. BEALS FUEL BURNER Apri 30,A 1929.

Filed Dec. 13, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet JNVENTOR W` W. Beals fly. N/f.

A TTORNE Y Patented Apr. 30, 1929.

UNITED STATES WALII'ONl W. IBEALS, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

runt4 BURNER.

Application led December 13, 1926. Serial No. 154,354.

My invention relates to improvements in the class of fuel burners radapted to be fitted within the fire pots or combustion chambers of furnaces, heaters, boilers, stoves and the lilre, to admit air through the sid-es and the bottom into and throughout the ignited fuel mass within the burner. Such fuel-burners, as known to me, have a standard or fixed size of openings in their sides whereby they are practically limited in operation to burning fuel of sizes limited to and appropriate for the sizes of said openings. With such a burner having side openings of such fixed .sizes adapted for burning fuel of such fixed or standard sizes, too little or too much air is admitted through such openings for fuel of a larger or smaller size or of a different character than such burners can properly burn. Another disadvantage of such burners is that if fuel of a smaller size is used than that for which such burners are designed such fuel will more or less fall through the said side openings. fFurthermore, ashes accumulate around the inside surface of said sides and clog the side openings thereof, thereby obstructing the entrance of the proper quantity of air, reducing the draft and air supply below the proper and necessary force and quantity which should be admitted to the burning fuel, for that size of fuel, with consequent impairment of the proper combustion of said fuel.

It is a well known fact that in order to secure the most nearly practically perfect combustion of solid fuels, the most nearly practical perfect and exact quantity of air necessary to rapidly and properly oxidize said fuels must be admitted to and throughout the burning fuel mass. In order to best accomplish such a result it is a prerequisite that the -openings in the sides and at the bottom of fuel combustion devices be adjustable and adaptable to varying sizes and sorts of fuels. Especially is this necessary when bituminous, or soft, coal is burned and also the smaller buckwheat sizes of anthracite coal. The former having so much more volatile content than the latter, much more rapid oxidization must take place to properly burn it, while with the latter more draft must be employed against the surface of the fuel, or else air must be admitted more freely or rapidly than is necessary with the larger sizes of anthracite coal.

VThe object of my invention is to provide a burner or fuel combustion device, readily adaptable and adjustable for burning anthracite or bituminous coal, coke or other solid suitable fuels, regardless of the size or character of such fuels,fwhereby the most nearly practical proper or correct amount of air may be admitted in the most nearly practical proper or correct manner to the burning fuel within said burner to give the most nearly practical proper or correct and best combustion of fuel being burned therein, in accordance with its size or character, under all conditions of service, in heaters, furnaces, boilers, stoves and the like.

In carrying out my invention I provide a fuel burner adapted to fit within the re ots or combustion chambers of furnaces, boi ers, heaters or the like, having side walls comprising rotative bars spaced apart in such a way as to admit air therebetween into the fuel within the burner, and rotative on their longitudinal axes to shake and dislodge ashes that accumulate within the side walls of the burner, and a grate at the bottom of the burner adapted to be operated for shaking out ashes accumulated at and near the bottom of the fuel mass. The grate is preferably provided with means to vary the size of openings therein to support fuel of various sizes and to admit air to the fuel within the burner substantially in accordance with the requirements for the size of the fuel being used. I provide means for rotating the grate, and means for rotating the side wall bars of the burner with the rotation of the grate, whereby whenthe grate is rotated to clear the ashes from the bottom of the fuel mass within the burner the side bars will be rotated to clear the ashes from the sides of the fuel mass. The arrangement described is such, also, that the grate may be set in a definite position and the side bars set with relation one to another, independcntly one from the other, in accordance with the proper amount of air to be admitted at the sides and at the bottom of the fuel mass, such as required by and in accordance with the size or character of the fuel to be burned therein.

My invention also comprises novel details of improvement that will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming-a part hereof, Where- Fig. 1 is a partly sectional front elevation of a portion of a water heater provided with my improvement;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 2, 2, in Fig. 1, parts being omitted;

Fig. 3 is a detail front elevation partly broken away; Y

Fig. 4 is a vertical section substantially on line 4, 4, in Fig. 3;

Fig. -is a plan view substantially on the plane of line 5, 5, in Fig. 4, and partly broken;

Fig. 6 is an inverted detail plan view;

Fig. i' is a detail sectional View substantially on line 7, 7, in Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail section substantially on line 8, 8, in Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective of an end of one of the upper guide members for the side bars' Fig. 10 is a detail side view of a portion of the lower grate, h

Fig. 11 is a section on line 11, 11, in Fig. 10'

Figs. 12 and 13 are perspective details of fittings for adjust-ably supporting the burner, and

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the operative end of the grate o erating the shaft.

Similar numeralsv of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

At 1 is indicated a hot water heater, boiler or furnace having a combustion chamber or lire pot at 2, an ash pit being located at 3 provided with a door at 4, all of Which may be of any suitable or Well known construction. At 5 is a supporting niember of my improved burner, Which may be in annular or other desired form, having opening 5EL for air, adapted to be suitably sup ported within the furnace or the like, as Within the ash pit thereof. The supporting member 5 may be Vcarried by cross bars (l supported in seats within the furnace or ash pit. The partsB 5 and 6 may be connected together inany7 suitable way. lf have shown adjustable fittings for said parts comprising spaced brackets 8 depending from the support 5 and adjustabl-y connected thereto by means of bolts 9 operative in slots l() in the support for lateral adjustment of the brackets. The brackets 8 are shown provided with interior spaces 8a in which blocks 11 are located, (Fig. 4), the blocks having holes 11a for the bars 6 and provided with threaded studs 12 passing through slots 8h in the brackets, nuts 13 securing the parts together. The blocks 11 are shown rectangular at their main portions for' ad justment in the spaces 8, the blocks extending at the ends opposite the studs 12 through slots 8D in the brackets. I have shown the blocks provided with heads 1lb 11b will extend against the outer surfaces of the. brackets ll to adjustablj.r retain the blocks in the spaces of (he brackets. lly the arrangement described the brackets may be adjusted for locating the support 5 in the desired position respecting the bars (3. The.

supporting member 5 may be supported within the boiler or furnace in any other desired Way.

llt- 14 are side bars of my improved burner which are spaced apart side by side, pro` riding the outer Wall of the burner, enclos ing a space for fuel. the bars being shown an nularly disposed. ln the example illustrated the side bars 14 are shown upwardly disposed, for an annular burner, but it will be understood that the bars may be horizontally disposed, as for a rectangular iire pot or combustion chamber. As illustrated, the lower ends of the bars 14 are rotatably supported upon the supporting member 5, for which purpose l have shown said member provided with spacedl vertically dis posed bearing bores 15 within which the lower ends 14*l of the bars are journaled, said bars being shown provided with shoulders at 14h rotatably resting upon the support 5, whereby the bars are journaled in an upright position. The upper ends of thev bars 14 are guided by guide-ring 16 adapt ed to tit within the fire pot or combustion chamber 2, (Fig. 1), the guide-ring being shown provided with radially disposed apertures, shown in the form of slots 16a, within which the upper reduced ends 14 of some of the bars 14 are journaled, (Fig. 4). rllhe ring 16 may bear against the adjacent Wall of the ire pot or combustion chamber 2 to maintain the ring and the upper ends of the burner bars 14 in proper operative position and to resist the flow of air between the ring and the fire pot wall. The space enclosed within the outer Wall of the burner may be hlled as dee'p as desired with fuel, and the fuel may be piled up with part of itrest ing upon the ring 16 and retained by the adjacent portion of the lire pot or combustion chamber wall. Gases generated from the burning fuel Will burn over the fuel on the ring 16. The ring 16 may be made in any desired way, either in av single piece or in several pieces detachably connected together. I

have illustrated the ring 1G in several arcuate sectionsorpieces connected together at their ends. By preference the ends of the ring sections 16 are reduced at 1Gb, (Figs. 1 and 9), to overlap, and provided vwith slots lill) 16c through which the end portions 14c of certain of the bars 14 project. I have illustrated means to detachably secure the adjacent ends of the sections of ring 16 together, comprising a bushing 17 having exterior threads 17L and shoulder 17, upon which the adjacent ring section rests, the bushing being supported upon shoulder 14d of the corresponding bar 1l, the portion 14 of which bar is journaled in the bushing,

(Figs. 1 and 8). A nut 18 is screwed uponV the threaded portion 17a of bushing 17 and against the adjacent portion of ring 16, the nut and the bushing together securingr the ring sections together. The end portions 14c of the corresponding bars 14 are provided with means to retain the parts rotatively together, for which purpose I have shown Washers 19 upon the nuts 18 and locking means, such as cotter pins 20, passing through the ends 14c of the bars, whereby the appropriate bars are rotative within the bushings and the ring 16 is kept from rising from the bars. The bars 14 that are not journaled within bushings 17 are free to rotate within the slots 16a of the ring 16. By the means described the diameter of ring 16 maybe varied, within limits, to fit within lire pots or combustion chambers of different transverse diameters, and the radially disposed slots 16a of the ring will permit appropriate positions of the upper ends of the bars 14 in accordance with the working diameter of the ring 16. The bars14, on their sides, preferably taper upwardly to accommodate different diameters of the ring 16 so that there will not be too much space between the bars at the top and their bottoms will remain approximatelyT equidistant when the ring is extended to its greatest or smallest diameter, and so that the bars will rotate freely with respectto one another when the ring is at its greatest or smallest diameter.

In order to provide more or less space between adjacent bars 14, for different sizes of fuel, said bars have a noncontinuons perimeter or are non-circular, so as to more or less approach each other, according to set posit-ion. The bars 14 are preferably polygonal in cross section. I have shown the bars 14 as longer than wide, or elongated in cross section for producing more or less space betweenl the bars to accommodate fuels of different sizes. To rotate the bars 14 I have shown the same provided, near their lower ends, with gears or pinions 21 in mesh with gear teeth 22, shown located along the exterior of a rotative member 23, which I preferably use yas a portion of the burner grate. The member 23 is rotatively supported by the support member 5, for which purpose, and for the purpose of permitting ready rotation of member 23, I have shown the latter provided with an annular rim 24 bearing upon rollers 25, journaled upon studs or shafts 26 carried by upwardly extending lugs 27 on support 5, (Figs. 4 and 5.) There 11i-.1y be any desired number of the rollers 25 spaced apart for rotatively supporting and balancing the 1nember `23. To rotate the member 23 I have shown annularly disposed gear teeth 28 formed on the lower surface of said member, within the gear teeth Q2. (Figs. -L and 6), in mesh with a gear 29 carried by a shaft 30 which projects vin position to be rotated for operating tfhe member Q3 and the bars 14. The inner end of shaft 30 is shown journaled in bearings 31 and, 32, and the outer end of the shaft may project through the front wall of the furnace or ash pit, if desired, (Fig. l). The ouer end of shaft 30 may be made polygonal, as indicated at 30a, (Figs. 1 and 14), to detacliably receive acrank handle.

The arrangement described is suoli' that` when shaft- 530 is rotated or rocked in either direction the gear 29 and teeth 28 and will cause rotation of the member 23, and by reason ot the engagement of gear teeth 22 with the or pinions 9.1 the side bars of the burner will be rotated and will shake and dislodge a'fhes'that may have accumulated along said bars at the sides of the fuel mass in the space within the bars. By the arrangement described the bars 14 will be rotated substantially lio-extensively, whereby substantially equal spacing between the bars will be provided, in any set position of the bars, to admit substantially corresponding quantities of air between adjacent bars to the fuel mass within the burner.

Any suitable bottom grate may be provided for the' burner. I have shown a frustof' conical grate 33 carried by the member 23 and provided with openings or slots at 33 to permit the flow of air and of ashes through the grate. By the means described the rotation or rocking of shaftBO will cause rotation or rocking of the grate as well as the side bars 14, thus simultaneously shaking the ashes at the bottom and at the sides of the fuel mass. In order to accommodate fuel, such as coal, coke or the like, of varying sizes upon the grate I provide the latter with a cover 34 that is rotatively mounted upon the grate and pro vided with openings 34a to register with the openings 33a of the grate, the cover correspending in contour to the grate, such as being frusto-eonicah (Figs. 4, 10 and 11). I have diown the grate provided with a flat top at 33 and the cover having a correspondingly flat top to tit thereon at 34h, (Fig. 4). To support fuel of dilferent sizes and perinit the flow of air through the grate in proportion as desired `or best adapted for the size or character of fuel being used,.I provide means to adjustably secure the grate and its cover together. For such purpose I have shown an arm 35 secured to and depending from cover 34 and grate 33 is shown provided with a depending arm 3G adjacent to the arm 35 with means to adjustably connect said arms together, (Figs. 10 and 11). I

have shown a screw 37 operative in a hole in arm 3G and adapted to tit in one or another off-spaced openings 38 in'arni for securing the arms together. The arm 35 projects through an opening or slot 83 in grate 33. lith the parts in the position shown in- Fig. l0 tha` openings 353 and 84a will be located in a mid-position respecting each other to accommodate fuel of an intermediate size, and when the arms are secured together the grate and its cover will be rotated as a unit. If it be desired to use fuel of a different size the arm 36 may be adjusted to the left or right in Fig. 10 to accommodate fuel of a larger or a smaller size and the arms will be secured together by the screw 37, whereupon the space through the registering openings 33 and 34 will be adjusted to a larger or smaller extent for supporting fuel of a de sired size and 4permitting the How through `the grate of the appropriate volume of air required by the size of the fuel.

Since the rotation of the bars 1i through the medium of the gear teeth Q2 and the pinions 21 Will cause the edges of the bars to more or less approach each other, by reason of the polygonal or elongated transverse dimensions of the bars, it is desirable to keep the bars in proper relation to one another according to the space desired between the bars with respect to fuel of different sizes. By stopping the rotation of shaft 30 in any desired position the gear teeth 22 will be correspondingly brought to rest and thereby the bars 14 will be maintained in definite relation to one another, the rat-io of the, gearing being properly designed for such pur pose. In order to indicate to the operator in what position it would be best to leave' the shaft 3() with respect to the size fuel he may be using, said shaft may be provided at its outer end with indicating means, such as letters or numerals. If live different sizes of fuel are intended to be used in the burner the outer end of shaft 3() may be pentagonal, and at the end of the shaft adjacent to each flat portion of its surface may be located a numeral or letter to indicate the size of the coal to be used when the corresponding symbol is, say, upwardly disposed, as indicated in Fig. 14. For instance, if No. 1 buckwheat anthracite coal is to be used the shaft 3() will be left with the numeral 1 upwardly disposed, and the gearing 21, 2Q will cause the bars lil to remain in a definite relation, and so on, with the bars providing more or less space therebetween in either position in which the sha-ft 13 may be set.

lVith my improved burner installed in a heater, boiler, furnace or the like the supporting member 5 will be a sufficient distance from the side walls of the ash pit to permit the flow of air bet-Ween them and into the space A between the bars 1i and the surrounding wall of the combustion chamber to admit air between said bars to the fuel mass within the burner. The supply of air will not only be admitted from below in accordance with the relative positions of the openings of the grate and its cover to supply a desired amount of oxygen to the bottom of the fuel mass, but also through the spaces between the bars 111 in quantity in accordance with the positions of the latter relative to one another, whereby combustion of the fuel will be effected and perfected to a high degree by reason of the practicability to supply substantially the correct quantity of air to burning fuel according to the size and character at all levels and throughout the burning fuel mass, whereby heat producing gases will beconsumed to produce heat, within the combustion or fire chamber, and thereby increased radiation and intensity of heat is secured quickly through resulting correct combustion of a relatively large quantity of the combustible constituents of the fuel with a relatively minimum production of residue, whereby economy in burning l the fuel is effected. An advantage of my improvement is that in order to increase or decrease the quant-ity of air admitted at any time to the burning fuel within the burner between the side bars 14, at the sides of the fuel mass, it is merely necessary to rotate the shaft 30 to set the bars relatively to one another, whereby to adjust the spaces therebetween according to the quantity of air desired to admit to secure the most nearly practically correct combustion of the fuel in thc burner. t

While I have illustrated and described a particular embodiment of my invention it will be understood that my invention is not `limited to the details of construction and relative arrangement of parts set forth, as the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now described my invention what I claim is 1. A fuel burner comprising upwardly ex tending rotative bars at the outer sides of the burner providing an inner space between the bars for fuel, a diametrically expansible ring having means rotatively guiding the upper portions of the bars whereby the latter may be maintained for rotation in different relatively spaced positions, a support for the lower portions of the bars, and means to rotate said barsj 2. A fuel burner comprising a support, a grate movably carried thereby, a plurality of upwardly extending annularly disposed spaced bars pivotally supported by said supfill port, and a ring comprising a plurality of sections pivotally lguiding said bars at their upper portions.

3. A fuel burner as set forth in claim 2,

in which the ring is diametrically expansible to fit .within combustion chambers of varying diameters.

4. A fuel burner comprising a support, a grate rotatively carried thereby, a plurality of upwardly extending spaced bais pivotally supported by said support, means cooperative between said grate and bars for.

rotating said bars by and with the grate, and a ring pivotally guiding said bars at l their upper portions.

5. A fuel burner as set forth in claim 4, in which the bars are provided with means supporting said ring.

6. A fuel burner having an outer wall comprising a series of upwardly extending bars enclosing a space for fuel, the bars be-V ing spaced and each bar lhaving its side edges respectively cooperative with corresponding side edges of adjacent bars to admit air therebetween to fuel within the burner, a support upon which the bars are axially rotatively mounted, guiding means for rotatively maintaining the upper ends of the bars axially for the admission finto the burner between the bars of different quantities of air in different positions ofthe bars, said guiding means comprising a diametrically adjustable ring provided with openings rotatively receiving the upper portions of the bars whereby the diameter of the ring may be varied to lit within fire pots of different diameters and the upper ends of the bars may be correspondingly set relatively to one another, and means to rotate said bars.

7. A fuel burner comprising a support, spaced upwardly extending bars rotatively mounted upon the support to admit air between the bars and enclosing a space for fuel, a guide-ring'for the upper portions of the bars provided with openings for rotatively guiding the bars comprising a plurality of sections, means to adjustably se cure the sections together to vary the di ameter of the ring, and means to rotate said bars. y

8. A fuel burner as set forth in claim 7,`in which the means to secure the sections of the ring together comprise bushings having a portion located in slots in the sections, and nuts cooperative with the bushings and with the sections to secure the sections together, the upper portions of some of the bars being journaled in the bushings.

9. A fuel burner as set forth in claim 7, in which the means to secure the sections of the ring together comprise bushings having a portion located in slots in the sections, and nuts cooperative with the bushings and with the sections to -secure the sections together, the upper portions of some of thel bars being journaled in the bushings, the bars having shoulders near their upper portions upon which the bushings are supported. v

l0. A fuel burner having an outer Wall comprising a plurality of vspaced bars to .admit aii therebetween to fuel Within the burner, means rotatively supportin said bars, a grate having openings and adapted to support fuel and admit air into the burner, means rotativelc7 supporting the grate, means to rotatesai grate and means to rotate the bars by and with the grate.

l1. A fuel burner having an outer wall comprising a plurality of spaced bars to admit air therebetween to fuel within the burner, means rotatively supporting said bars, a. grate having openings and adapted to support fuel and admit air into the burner, means rotatively supporting the grate, the grate being provided .with a gear, the bars having gears in mesh with the rst named gear, and means to rotate the grate, whereby the bars will be rotated with the grate.

12. A fuel burner having an outer Wall comprising a plurality of spaced bars to admit air therebetween to fuel within the burner, means rotatively supporting said bars, a grate having openings and adapted to support fuel and admit air into the burner, means rotatively supporting the grate, the grate being provided with a gear, the bars having gears in mesh with the first named gear, the grate being provided with downwardly disposed gear teeth, and a shaft having a gear in mesh with the downwardly disposed gear teeth for rotating the grate whereby the bars will be rotated with the grate.

13. A fuel burner having an outer wall comprising a plurality of spaced bars to admit air therebetween to fuel within the burner, means rotatively supporting said bars, a grate having openings and adapted to support fuel and admit air into theburner, means rotatively supporting the grate, ther grate being provided with a gear, the bars having gears in mesh with the first named gear, and means to rotate the grate, whereby the bars will be rotated with the grate, the grate being provided with an annular rim, and rollers upon which the rim is mounted for rotation.

14. A fuel burner comprising a support, a series of annular upwardly extending bars rotatably mounted upon the support providing a space for fuel, said lbars being longer than Wide in a transverse direction, means to rotate said bars for shaking the sides of the fuel mass and whereby the bars may be set in different relations to admit varying appropriate quantities of air therebetween, and a ring having radially disposed slots rotatively receiving the upper portions of the bars, the ring com rising a plurality of sections, means for a justably connectlng the ring sections whereby the diameter of the ring may be varied, the bars at the sides of their longer transverse dimensions tapering to accommodate different diameters of the ring without interfering one with another during rotation.

l5. The combination of a combustion chamber with a fuel burner therein comprising a plurality of spaced upwardly eX- tending rotative bars providing an outer wall having an inner space for fuel, a support rotatively carrying said bars at their lower ends, guiding means inring-like form for the upper ends 4of said bars cooperative with the side wall of the combustion chamber to retain the bars, the guiding means being adapted to support fuel above the bars within said chamber, means to r'otate said bars to dislodge ashes Within the lburner and a grate below the bars to sustain fuel within the burner, said grate having openings to admit air into the burner.

16. The combination of a combustion chamber With a fuel burner therein having an outer' wall comprising spaced upwardly extending rotative bars providing an inner space for fuel, means rotatively supporting the lower portions of the bars, a ring rotatively guiding the upper portions of the bars, said ring being of such diameter as to fit within said combustion chamber'to retain the bars in operative positions and support fuel upon the ring within the combustion chamber, a grate at the lower portion of the burner to support fuel therein for combustion, and means to rotate said bars to dislodge fuel residue at the outer portion of the fuel mass Within the burner.

17. A fuel burner 'as set forth in claim 16, provided with means to support the ring upon the bars.

WALTON W. BEALS. 

